A Splintered Future
by Star-Nebula42
Summary: After going berserk at the exorcist training camp, Rin was sentenced to death and executed. Three years later, his friends have moved on and are now living their own lives as graduating exorcists. When an Arc Knight is killed in battle, foul-play is suspected. A figure from the past resurfaces, rising to claim their rightful place among the elite.
1. Act l - A Formal Introduction

**Disclaimer:** I don't own ANE/BE or any of its characters.

Thank you for checking out my new story. I hope you enjoy it.

 **Act l:** The Beginning

* * *

 _"Rin Okumura; our council has convened and come to a decision. You have been sentenced to death." A large voice boomed from where the Grigori stood._

 _Yukio froze. His entire body going numb. The words echoed in his head again, and again and he still couldn't comprehend their meaning. Sentenced to death? There must be a mistake._

 _Two exorcists neared Rin, who was now trembling. Rin's eyes, filled with pure fear, met Yukio's across the room. Yukio wanted to tell Rin that he would be okay and that nothing bad would happen to him, but the words were stuck in his throat. What comfort could he give to someone who was about to be dragged to their own death?_

 _"Rin..." Yukio called out weakly._

 _The two exorcists grabbed Rin from under his arm and began to drag him out of the room._  
 _"Rin!" Yukio shouted, his voice finding strength again. He was faintly aware of someone holding him back._

 _Rin paused in front of Mephisto, who was standing by the Grigori, and said something too quietly for Yukio to hear. Whatever it was, it must have been important because Rin was speaking frantically._

 _Mephisto nodded and snapped his fingers._

 _The exorcists resumed dragging Rin away. Just before they removed Rin from the room, Rin looked over his shoulder smiled, he shouted something to Yukio, but Yukio couldn't hear him over the blood pounding in his ears._  
 _Rin was out of sight now. The chamber doors slammed shut and-_

Yukio jolted awake to the sound of knocking. Panting, he tried to get his breathing under control. Yukio reached up to his face to wipe the sleep away, only to find that he was covered in sweat. He used to dream of Rin's sentencing every night but now it only happened on rare occasions. This is the first time he's had that dream in months.

His bedroom was dark, save for a bit of light protruding from underneath his door. Squinting, he could faintly see the outline of someone's feet just outside the door.

Three years ago, when Yukio heard those words for the first time, he didn't fully understand their meaning or the impact they would have later on. It was only after Rin was dragged away by the exorcists to be executed did the meaning start to sink in. He would never see his brother again. He would have to celebrate their birthday alone every year for the rest of his life. One half of a whole.

You have been sentenced to death. Those six words used to haunt his every waking hour. Now instead of haunting him during the day, they do so at night. Sometimes in his dreams he would see his brothers smiling face, the time they spent together with Father Fujimoto, or ever the adventures he and Rin had with the exwires. But on night like tonight, he would see his brothers terrified expression, fearful of what was to come.

The banging on the door came back but this time the person on the other side of it also said, "Oi sleepyhead, open the goddamn door!"

"I'm coming." He called back.

Removing himself from his tangled mess of blankets, he kicked his legs over the side of his mattress and stood up. He grabbed a pair of glasses from his desk and read the clock hung on the wall. 7:26am. He had slept in.

Since Yukio didn't live with Rin anymore, he moved into a single bedroom in the boys dormitory. They originally offered him a room with another student but since he was also a teacher, they offered him the option of having his own room. Which he chose.

Groggily, Yukio shuffled his way over to the door. Stumbling over his own feet a few times on the short walk.

He opened the door and was greeted with the equally exhausted face of Shura.  
"Shura, what can I do for you?" He asked.

"Can you cover my classes today?" She asked. "We're short-staffed and they've worked me to the bone. Mission, after mission, after mission."

Yukio glanced back at his clock. His own class started in around thirty minutes. He took in Shura's exhausted appearance again and sighed.

"I'll cover for you, but you owe me this time."

"Sure," She waved him off. "Whatever works for you four-eyes. Hungry?"

"Famished. Just let me put on some clothes." He said, gesturing to his pajamas.

Shura snorted, "Sleeping in, Yukio? You're getting lazy. I'll meet you downstairs."

Yukio closed the door. He took quick shower and put on a clean set of clothes. Sliding into his exorcist coat, he looked into the mirror to make sure his appearance was acceptable. He hadn't changed much in the last three years. He still wore glasses and had a standard haircut. Maybe he grew in inch or two.

 _'How much would Rin have changed in three years? Would he have gotten any taller?_ ' Yukio wondered. He shook those thoughts away, he had to focus.

Yukio rushed downstairs and met up with Shura.

"What took you so long? Were you too busy picking between your identical pairs of glasses?"

"There _are_ minute differences you know."

Shura made a skeptical face. She just as curvaceous as always, but she dressed a little more conservatively. Dawning a full exorcist coat instead of a bikini. She also sported a jaw length hair cut that made her look younger.

Shortly after Rin's execution, Shura forced Yukio to go out and eat breakfast with her once a week. Originally she did it so Yukio had a reason to leave his room outside of missions, but it slowly became routine and they took the time to catch up with each other between their hectic work schedules.

"Hang on." Yukio said, stopping in his place.

"What?" Shura asked.

"You asked me to cover for you... But I was already covering for you today. You're supposed on a mission, why are you here?" He questioned.

Shura clicked her tongue, "Hah, nothing gets past you does it? I was hoping you had forgotten about that."

Yukio motioned for her to continue.

"Apparently we are no longer needed to aid the Malaysian Branch with their demon infestation problems. They, and I quote, 'handled the situation themselves with minimal support.' Which is mostly true, we did send in an upper ranked support team." Then she added, "Speaking of which, the support team should be back today. Have you ever met them?"

"No, I haven't."

"Neither have I. They're always on missions."

"Well, I'm glad to hear they sorted it all out." Yukio replied.

"Yeah, less work for me. Did you hear the news? Apparently one of them is the a new hot-shot. A young upper first class gunning for arc knight."

"Oh really?" Yukio asked, only half interested.

"Yes really. How about you?" She nudged him with her elbow, "You first-rate, uh, expert exorcist? Barely 18 and you're already an upper second class. That's no small feat." She nudged him with her elbow.

"Well some of us do _try_ to do well." He teased, putting emphasis on the word try.

"Watch it. The exwires are graduating soon, right? Got anything planned?"

"They still have a few months left. As for their graduation, nothing too exciting. We'll probably just follow standard procedure. I think Miss Kamiki and Miss Moriyama are planning a surprise party that I don't know about."

"Gah," She began, "I can't believe they're graduating soon! It feels like just yesterday that you graduated. You were so tiny…" She tried to ruffle his hair but he batted her hand away.

Shura's phone started ringing from the inside of her coat.

"I would answer that." Yukio said.

Shura shot him a scathing look, but answered the phone anyways, "Hello? Right. I understand."

"Looks like we'll have to get breakfast another time, I've gotta go." She sighed, exhaustion creeping into her voice.

"Going on a mission after all then, are we?"

"No it's.. Don't you have a class to teach?" She barked at him.

He looked at his watch, 8:03am. Damn it.

"Well played." He said with resignation in his voice.

"I'll text you when I can. Later four eyes!" She called at him.

Yukio watched her leave, and she pulled how her phone and made a call. His own phone started to vibrate in his pocket. "I'm not answering your call!" He shouted to Shura, unsure if he could hear her. His phone pinged, signifying that he got a message.

 _'I'll check it after class.'_ He thought. A class that he was already late for.

On his way to class, he saw a little white dog, whom he knew to be Mephisto, following a small groups of exorcist. He was wagging his tail happily.

 _'That must be the backup team they sent to Malaysian branch.'_ He thought.

When he reached his classroom, he opened the door and nearly bumped into Kaoru Tsubaki - a middle first class exorcist.

"Yukio? What are you doing here?" The older man asked, perplexed.

"I -uh," Yukio started, fumbling over his own words. He wasn't sure why he had to explain why he was in his own classroom, "teach them?"

The words felt ridiculous as they left his mouth. He and Tsubaki have known each other for years and Tsubaki knew that Yukio taught the anti-demon pharmacology class.

"Of course, of course," He chuckled, "but I meant what are you doing here teaching? Didn't you get the message?"

Seeing Yukio's confused expression he explained, "You're supposed to be in the hospital ward doing a medical evaluation on the support team we sent to Malaysia."

Yukio pulled out his phone and sure enough, the message that he got on his phone earlier wasn't from Shura, but from HQ requesting that he to evaluate the returning exorcist to make sure they were fit for duty and that Tsubaki would be covering his classes for the morning.

Yukio looked up at Tsubaki and looked around to room and saw the exwires looking back at him with bemused expressions.

"Right," he muttered. "I'll be off then."

Yukio left the classroom and he felt as like his head was spinning on his shoulders. This is going to be a long day.

Taking the quick way to the hospital, it took his less than five minutes to arrive. He opened the door to the hospital wing and saw a small group of five or so exorcists. Some were getting treated for minor scrapes and wounds and others were getting full evaluations.

"How many?" Yukio asked the doctor on duty, slipping on a pair of medical gloves.  
"We've already cleared two, the paladin and the mission tactician," he explained. "these two here are being evaluated for infections and parasites. Three are still in the waiting room. When they're done here, send them to fill in and submit their reports over there." He pointed vaguely to an area outside of the hospital wing.

"The paladin?" Yukio asked, surprised, "Why was he on the mission?"

The doctor just grunted and said, "No idea."  
Medical gloves now on, Yukio walked over to the first patient, pleased to find that they had no serious injuries, parasites, or ailments of any kind. While checking the second person, he listened in on some of the nurses who were whispering in the hall.

 _"Dead?"_ One of them squeaked.

"I know, I can't believe it." Another one whispered.

"But we was an arc knight! Whatever went wrong must have been horrible."

"Obviously it was. After he died, they had to send the paladin himself."

"Who'll take his place? The arc knight, I mean."

"I've heard it'll be the arc knights second in command, the upper first class that was in here earlier."

"The mission tactician? But he was so young!" One of them gasped.

In an even quieter voice the other nurse whispered, "Some people suspect foul play. Rumor has it that he killed the arc knight so he could take the rank for himself-"

The doctor on duty noticed them whispering to each other, "Don't you lot have anything better to do than gossip?" He snapped at them.

Yukio heard a group of hurried footsteps and saw the nurses rush back to work.  
"Fill in and submit your report over there." Yukio said to his patient when he was finished.

After another hour of evaluating patients and treating minor injuries, Yukio was finally finished. He sat down in a chair and decided to take a quick break. He had just closed his eyes when his phone buzzed again. Sighing, he opened his eyes and checked his phone. This time it was actually a message from Shura.

 _'Joining us for lunch? - Shura_ ' attached to the message was a photo of her and the exwires in the cafeteria.

He put his phone back into his pocket and forced himself up from the chair. Trotting down to the cafeteria, it wasn't hard to find his friends. Between Shima's bright-colored hair and Izumo shouting at him about something he had said, they were fairly easy to pick out.

Bon had finally gotten rid of hair bright yellow hair strip and now sported his natural dark hair.

Izumo, like Shura, sported short hair because it kept getting in the way. Whereas Sheimi's tied her hair back in a long braid.

And then there was Shima. His once before pastel pink hair was now a vibrant and almost offensive shade of neon pink.

Sheimi spotted him at once and waved him over.  
"Hello Yuki!"

"Hello." He greeted them all and pulled over a vacant chair from a nearby table.  
Sheimi had prepared and cooked them all meals. Despite her first few disastrous attempts at cooking, she had gotten better over the past few years. They laughed and joked as they poked fun at Yukio for showing up to class flustered.

"You, you should have seen his face!" Shima laughed, spitting food everywhere.

Izumo gave him a disgusted look and shoved some napkins into his hands.

Yukio chuckled and retaliated, "If you're not careful, I will double your homework load for this week... and next."

While they were all talking and joking, Yukio felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He scanned the cafeteria and found nothing to be concerned about.  
Shura gave him a curious look and he just shook his head. It felt like they were being watched.

Yukio's phone buzzed in his pocket again, he took a deep breath, "I'm not going to catch a break today."

 _'From Headquarters Division 5: All able-bodied exorcists (of all ranks) are to report to the Vatican ASAP. Thank you for your compliance.'_

Serveral more phones in the cafeteria pinged, all of them belonging to exorcists. Even the exwires phones went off.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise and judging from Shura's expression, who was also checking her phone, she received the same message.

"The Vatican huh.." Yukio muttered.  
Shura nodded, "It must be urgent."

"How do you even get to the Vatican?" Bon asked, reading the message on his phone.

Standing up, both Yukio and Shura shrugged their coats back on.

"Shura, do you have a key?" Yukio asked, "I left mine in my room."

"Yep." She smirked and waved her key in front of his face.  
She put the key into a nearby closet door and twisted it open. When she opened the door, it was no longer a closet but the entrance to the Vatican. Stepping through the gate they were greeted with a surprisingly crowded room filled to the brim with other exorcists.

"They're from other branches. I wonder what's going on. Any ideas?" Shura asked Yukio.

"A few, but they're all guesswork."

Everyone was being ushered into a large circular room so great in size that it could easily be mistake for and observatory. Despite its size, people still had to squeeze together for everyone to fit inside.

To the far wall was a large podium where ceremonial events were held. A set of French doors sat behind the podium. During past events, those doors are where guest speakers or important figures would enter and exit from.

Once everyone filed into the room, a set of large doors shut behind them. A tall figure emerged from the doors behind the podium. A few people could be heard gasping, but Yukio just shook his head at the ridiculous grandeur at the appearance of none other than Arthur Auguste Angel, the paladin.

Arthur cleared his throat and spoke loudly, "A few of you may have heard some rumors floating around that we lost a senior member of our ranks. I am here to announce that it's true, just hours ago we lost a brave member of our ranks. He had the duty and honor of serving with us as an arc knight." He paused and murmurs swept through the crowd.

"Is he serious? Did you hear any rumors?" Shura asked, looking pale.

"I heard people gossiping earlier but I wasn't sure if it was true." Yukio replied.

"You'd think that they would have told us about something this important sooner." Shura grumbled.

Arthur raised his voice over the murmurs to silence them, "In his last moments, he requested his successor by name. As of this morning we have sworn in a new arc knight to take over the duty and responsibilities of our fallen comrade. Whether it be on the battlefield or in the planning of missions, many of you have already worked with him. Yet it only felt right to give him a formal introduction. Rin Okamura, please step forward."

Gasps of surprise and shock reverberated throughout the room.

Yukio quirked his head in confusion, "What?"

Yukio looked up at the podium and it felt like a punch to the gut.

To the right of Arthur stood Rin, clad in an exorcist uniform. Kurikara strapped across his back. His facial expression gave away no emotion, but his cold, blue eyes pierced through them like ice.


	2. Embarrassing Confrontation

**Disclaimer:** Anything BE/ANE related isn't mine

I was recovering from a surgery while writing this and the recovery process was more painful than I had anticipated it to be. This chapter is shorter than the least but nonetheless, I hope you enjoy it.

Stay hydrated.

* * *

Yukio couldn't breathe. It felt like all of the oxygen in the room had been removed. This had to be a prank, some kind of a sick joke made only to torment him. Rin was executed three years ago, they even held a funeral service for him. Three years ago Yukio lost the only family he had left in the world. His brother was dead. Or rather, he was supposed to be dead.

And yet there he stood. Looking to be in perfect health and very much alive. How the hell was he alive?

Shura put her hand on Yukio's shoulder, but Yukio shrugged her away. Yukio didn't want to be touched or comforted, he wanted answers. His heart was pounding so loudly in his ears that it drowned out all other noise.

Rin's eyes scanned over the crowd, his eyes never meeting theirs. His face was passive, not even betraying an ounce of emotion.

"Good afternoon," Rin's voice rang out loudly, his voice was flat but his tone was commanding, "As Arthur already said, we've lost an important member of our ranks. He was a comrade and friend to many of you and our thoughts are with his family." He paused and a moment of science rang out for their fallen comrade.

"That being said," he continued, "I will be taking over his responsibilities from here on out. I look forward to working with you."

Rin bowed slightly before returning to Arthur's side.

"That will be all, return to your duties." Arthur said with and air of finality, turning to leave the way he came in. Rin following closely by his side.

The silence that was held during the announcement broke. Murmurs of shock and confusing filled the air. Appointing such high ranking exorcists happened so far and in between that it was almost unheard of. People were starting to file out of the room, but Yukio wanted to get closer to the podium.  
"Wait." Yukio pleaded, hoping Rin would stop.

Rin's head seemed to tilt in Yukio's direction slightly, but he didn't stop. Whether Rin heard him or not, Yukio didn't know.

Yukio pushed through the crowd, trying his best not to push anyone but not stopping to apologize if he did. People were giving him dirty looks, but he didn't care. He had to get to the bottom of this, he had to talk to Rin.

Climbing up the stairs Yukio rushed through the double doors, he looked around and didn't see Rin or Arthur. Yukio felt a spike of fear, where had they gone? Striding down one of the hallways, he caught a glimpse of Arthur's stark white uniform and Rin walking beside him through the crowd of people. Would he make it to them in time?  
Yukio took one more glance at his brothers retreating form and chased after him. There was no time to worry about what would happen if he didn't make it to Rin in time, he had to get to him. Shoving past even more people, he muttered "Sorry, sorry."

Catching up, Yukio grabbed Rin by the sleeve, albeit a little rougher than he had intended, and turned Rin to face him. Rin, who was now facing Yukio, stared at him deadpan. Rin stood the same height as Yukio, if not a little taller. His black hair that used to be a total mess, was now brushed back tidily.

"Can I help you?" Rin asked calmly.

Rin's tone nonchalance threw Yukio into a whirlwind. Why was he acting like everything was fine? Like nothing had happened at all? Yukio was out of breath and at a loss for words. What do you say to someone who you thought was dead?

"You-you're taller," Yukio panted out, mentally slapped himself. Of all the things he could have said, he went with 'you're taller.' His face flushed with embarrassment. The adrenaline that had coursed through him was starting to leave his body, exhaustion setting in.

Rin opened and closed his mouth like he was trying to come up with a response but then decided against it. He looked at where Yukio was holding his sleeve. His once before blank expression turned to one of disdain. He tore his arm away from Yukio, flinching ever so slightly, and readjusted his sleeve.

"Please don't touch me." Rin said firmly, his tone void of malice even though he was looking at Yukio with disdain.

"Where have you been? What's going in? I thought you were dead Rin-" Yukio began but Arthur cut him off.

"Come now Rin, we have a meeting to attend." Arthur said to Rin.

Rin turned around and walked down the hall, side by side with Arthur, leaving Yukio behind without looking back.

 **-~x~-**

"I just don't understand," Sheimi cried, "why is this happening?"

Izumo sat down next to Sheimi and placed her hand on Sheimi's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her distraught friend. There weren't any words she could think of to help.

"We had a funeral, we mourned him!" Bon shouted angrily, slamming his hand on a vacant desk. Bon wasn't exactly sure how to feel. He wasn't angry at Rin or any of his friends, he was just angry at their whole situation.

Yukio was sitting behind his desk, holding his head in his hands. He had explained to everyone what had happened what he tried to talk to Rin, but he hadn't spoken since then. He was feeling more and more confused by the minute. Part of him wanted to cry, and the other part of him wanted to wake up from this nightmare he was having.  
After Arthur and Rin had left Yukio standing alone in the hallway, Shura and the exwires caught up with him and bombarded him with questions. Questions that he didn't have answers for. He was just as lost as they were.

When Yukio, unmoving, continued to stare at where his brother had stood just moments ago Shura suggested that they all go to their class room for some privacy.  
Now they were all sitting in the classroom, feeling unsure of what to say to each other and even less unsure if they should try to comfort each other. After Rin went berserk three years ago and was be supposedly executed, Yukio lost his brother and the exwires lost a close friend.

And now that person is alive?

Shura looked around at their somber expressions and said, "Listen guys... I'll go to the mission archives and see if I can find his file. I'm sure there must be something."  
Shura bounding out of the classroom with a sense of purpose, she had to find out something, anything.  
But that was an hour ago and Shura still hadn't returned. Yukio nervously looked at the clock. If Shura wasn't back in fifteen minutes, he was going to go make sure nothing bad had happened to her.

Ten minutes later, she came back, a few slim files tucked under her arm.

Yukio didn't look up from his hands. He didn't dare get his hopes up. Feeling hopeful that they could find something felt foolish.

Shura set the files on Yukio's desk and sighed, "This was everything that I could find. I even ask the desk clerk for help. I was able to check out some classified files, but there wasn't anything there. I asked her where I might find more files, and she said the top secret files require a special pass, which I don't have," she said in a defeated voice, shrugging. Seeing the hope in their faces deflate she added, "It might not be much, but it's better than nothing."

The truth is, Shura had also hoped to find more than a few meager files. When she arrived the section of the archives that contained the personal files of current exorcists, she asked the clerk at the front desk to give her all the files on Rin Okumura. The clerk came back with a few small files and said that the rest of the files were _'classified.'_  
She plopped down heavily into an empty chair. The events of the day had thoroughly drained her.

Yukio read through the files in less than five minutes. Well, there wasn't really much he could read. Either things had been blacked out or marked as _'Classified, see file for more information.'_ All of the files were identical, all directing the reader to see his file for more information. There were a few other assignments here and there but there was little to no information in those either. Whether he was backup or on the front lines, they couldn't tell. The last entry was from this morning simply titled as _'Malaysia'_ but there was no information there.

The only information Yukio could infer from the files, was that someone didn't want anyone to have information about Rin except for the basics.

The other weird thing that Yukio noticed, was there were no entries dating past this year. There was barely even a years worth of missions listed.

"Strange..." Yukio muttered.

"What is?" Izumo asked, perking up.

"Rin has been gone for three years, right? There are no entries in here dated past this last year. With that information, we know that Rin has been with the order for at least a year but that leaves two years unaccounted for." He explained.

"And that means...?" Shima trailed off, unsure of what point Yukio was trying to make.

Bon nodded to himself, "It means that he's been working for the Order for the past year, but what about the year before that? Or the year before that?"

"It concerns me because someone knows more about Rins execution and has been lying to us. We were told said that Rin was executed but he obviously wasn't. Why would they lie to us?" Yukio asked no one in particular.

"Yukio, I think we know who would have more information on this," Shura started.  
"Who would?" Izumo asked her.

Yukio sighed, as much as he hated it, Shura was right. He saved Shura the trouble and answered, "Mephisto."


	3. Asinine Decision

**Disclaimer** : Anything BE/ANE related isn't mine.

*Speaks whilst hiding in a trash can* So, I -uh, I wrote this back in May and I thought I posted it but as it turns out, I hit the wrong button. While writing this, I kept typing Mephisto as Melpsips. Anyways! Without further delay, a new chapter!

I really hope that you enjoy it!

* * *

 _"Mephisto."_

Izumo snorted, "I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him! How can we be sure that this isn't all of his- his-!" She struggled for the right word.

"Fault?" Bon offered.

"Yes! Who's to say that he hasn't been lying to us right along as well?"

"At this exact moment we can't be sure of who has been lying and who hasn't." Yukio sighed. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. He could feel a tension headache starting. "As of right now he's the best shot we have at getting any answers."

"I didn't see him at the Vatican for the meeting. Do you thinks he's on campus today?" Shura asked Yukio.

"Yeah, I am. I saw him earlier this morning. He was following closely behind the support team on their way to the hospital wing." Yukio confirmed, standing up to visit Mephisto's office.

On the way to Mephisto's office, Yukio's stomach clenched painfully with fear and anxiety. A knot of uncertainty had been working its way into the pit of his stomach since the meeting. A lot had transpired in a relatively short amount of time. He was happy to see his brother alive and well but the situation surrounding the whole thing didn't add up. How was Rin still alive? Who was responsible and why? The latter question was slowly driving him mad.

When they made it to Mephisto's office, Shura took a deep breath and instead of calmly opening the door like a civilized human being, she kicked the door open as hard as she could. The door slammed against the wall with a loud bang in response.

"Mephisto, you have some explaining to do!" She shouted, abandoning all of her manners.

Mephisto had been sitting at his desk mid-sip of tea when Shura busted the door wide open, shouting from the top of her lungs. Sitting across from him in two large red armchairs were Rin, his younger brother and Arthur, an esteemed member among exorcists. Arthur also paused for drinking his tea to see what was causing such a ruckus. Rin looked like he couldn't care less, he sat with his hands doled neatly in his lap and didn't turn to see what had caused the loud sound. They _were_ in the middle of a meeting.

Mephisto looking up at them last the edge of his teacup and promptly sat his drink on the desk with a quietly clink.

"Ah yes, just the people I wanted to see. Don't be shy now, come in. All of you." He said, motioning them inside his office with a cheerful smile.

Hesitantly they all walked closer to Mephisto's desk. They stopped just behind the occupied armchairs, not wanting to crowd too much.

"As you two are aware," Mephisto started, looking directly at Yukio and Shura, "The exwires final exams are rapidly approaching, as is their hopeful graduation."

Yukio and Shura nodded, slightly taken aback by the strange turn of the conversation.

"The Order," he started with a dramatic sigh, "has but one major problem. A shortage of exorcists. This has been an ongoing problem we've been battling for a while now and as director of this academy, I have come to the decision that with how few exorcists we have, they will have be trained to the absolute highest standard. Quality versus quantity! My young friend here, Rin, shall be an evaluator, insuring that the next generation of exorcists are well-trained and ready to face any challenge."

Everyone in the room (with the exception of Mephisto and Arthur) had an expression of shock. Even Rin bore a quizzical expression. Mephisto's sudden announcement was followed by a beat of silence. That was not what they were expecting.

"If I refuse?" Rin asked, his tone low and unreadable.

"I'm afraid you can't. I went ahead and got your new assignment approved." Mephisto said, a Cheshire Cat grin gracing his features.

"Approved? By whom, if I may ask?" Rin asked with a demanding edge to his voice.

"By me." Arthur said, making a vague gesture with his hands. "It's beneficial for the Order and I see no downside. As your superior, I'm ordering you to do it."

"Yes sir." Rin replied, his voice sharp.

Mephisto clasped his hands together and smiled, "Now that that's all sorted out, we can be assured that they will be well ready for the hardships and lifestyle of an exorcist!"

Rin gave a short, mirthless laugh. He stood up and straighten out the nonexistent wrinkles in his uniform.

"You never cease to amaze me, Mephisto." Rin said, shaking his head. "Out of all the asinine decisions you've made, this one certainly takes first prize." He pushed pass everyone and walked briskly from the room.

"How polite." Mephisto said, his voice flat.

Arthur looked at his watch, "It's time I take my leave as well." He set his cup on Mephisto's desk, gave him a curt nod, and left the room."

Mephisto waved at Arthur's back as he left the room. As if just remembering that he they were still there, Mephisto asked, "Ah, my favorite young exorcists, what can I do for you?"

"You can start by telling us what the hell is going on! How the hell is Rin still alive?" Shura demanded.

"Straight to the point I see. Well, it's fairly obvious that he never died." Mephisto said casually as if he was talking about the weather. He took another sip of his tea.

Yukio slammed his hands on Mephisto's desk, his glasses going askew. He sure as hell wasn't in the mood for any games.

"But his execution-?" Yukio started, only to get interrupted mid-sentence.

"Okumura, you're a smart boy. Now I must ask you, how could you be so sure that he was executed without seeing a body?" Mephisto asked, no longer smiling.

Mephisto's word felt like a slap to the face. When Rin was executed for going berserk at the exorcist training camp and Yukio had been so emotionally distraught at the time that he hadn't even thought about how he didn't see his brother's body afterwards.

"What's going on?" Yukio asked, his voice cracking.

"Only time will tell." Mephisto picked up his tea-cup and brought it up to his face, hiding a knowing smile.

-~x~-

The weekend passed by quickly. They didn't receive any new information on the situation with Rin and Shura was too swamped with missions to prod the higher ups for any details. All that they knew was that Rin would be sitting in on their class Monday morning. This morning.

The entire classroom was bubbling over with nervous energy. There was no telling what was going to happen next and that made them all the more anxious and excited.

It was less than five minutes until the beginning of class and Rin hadn't shown up yet.

Then it was one minute.

Just seconds before their class officially began, the door swung open and Rin let himself in. He didn't make eye contact with them. He didn't even say anything. Wordlessly, he strolled past all of them and settled at the back of the classroom where he could see everyone. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the wall ahead of them, as if pretending that they didn't exist in the first place.

They all openly stared at him for a moment. It had been three years since Rin had been in the same classroom as them.

Yukio coughed and drew the exwires attention back to himself. He was trying his hardest to pretend that Rin wasn't there. Regardless of the strangeness of the situation, Yukio still had the duty to prepare his students and friends for their upcoming exams that were just a few months away.

The class continued on like it usually would. Rin didn't make a peep the whole time. If the exwires focused on their work hard enough, his presence felt like it diminished entirely. Rin didn't say or do anything to disrupt the class the whole time Yukio taught.

Yukio glanced at the clock on the wall and nearly sighed in relief. The class was almost over and nothing had gone wrong. During the class he was worried that somehow something would go all wrong.

"Alright, does anyone have any questions?" Yukio asked the class as they packed up their stuff.

They shook their heads in response. A 'no's were muttered.

As they were packing up their homework and books, Rin marched into the center of the room, drawing all of their attention. He addressed the exwires in a loud, clear voice, "What are the similarities between a Kechibi and a Jinmenju?" He asked.

No one answered. They all started at him at a loss of words. What brought this on so suddenly?

"Nobody? Fine then. What are the effects of a Banshees scream on humans and demons?" He asked and even though he's voice was monotonous, they sensed an edge to his words.

Again, no one answered the question, they didn't know the answer.

Rin shook his head in apparent disbelief. He shrugged and said, "It seems you all are severely lacking in your education. I must say I'm disappointed." He looked around the room, "I expect a full report from each of you listing the similarities and differences between what I've just asked you."

Rin walked up to Yukio's desk and looked him dead in the eyes. Almost challengingly.

"See to it that you've at least taught them the basics before their exams. It would be a shame." Rin said, flashing Yukio a tart smile.

Yukio rose to the challenge, "They'll be more than ready."

"Of course they will be." Rin purred, "After all, we wouldn't want your ability to teaches called into question, would we?"

He turned to face the exwires, "I will be hosting your class next Monday. I will also be conducting tests to test your physical strength. I expect you to turn in your reports then."

Rin left the room, leaving no room for argument.

"Physical tests?" Sheimi asked in a quiet voice.


	4. Head Held High

**Disclaimer** : I do not own ANE/BE or any of its characters.

Hello, hello, hello! I present to you... * _drumroll_ * a new chapter! I hope you enjoy! Also... Expect a new chapter soon.

* * *

 ** _"When you are bullied, stand up for yourself. But how can you be sure to not become a bully yourself in the process?"_**

* * *

When Monday morning arrived, the nervous energy that the exwires had felt the previous week was now replaced with worry and dread. Rin wasn't the same person he used to be. This Rin was changed, cold, and hardened. To make matters worse, Yukio wouldn't be joining them for their 'physical tests' as Yukio had his own responsibilities and obligations to manage.

When the exwires arrived at the place their testing would take place the sun had barely begun to rise. It was an open training area covered in grass, save for a running track and some benches.

"Do you suppose we'll be have to run?" Shima asked the group, yawning loudly.

"I really hope not." Koneko said honestly. He was by no means a strong individual. As an Aria, mental strength and memorization trumped brute strength.

"Maybe there's different tests for different meisters."Sheimi suggested. She herself had been worried earlier that morning, but decided that worrying would only make things worse.

Konekomaru flashed her a nervous smile. He appreciated her effort to comfort him.

"You'll survive." Bon said, punching Koneko playfully on the shoulder.

"Just stay with us and you'll be fine. We'll help ya!" Shima said, pointing his thumb towards himself.

"Shima _help_ you? I wouldn't hold your breath." Izumo piped in jokingly.

Bon opened the gate and held it open for everyone. They all entered the training field. The morning sun shining brightly in their eyes.

Rin was waiting for them. Rin looked at their enthusiasm listlessly. He wasn't sure why they were happy but he didn't care. Rin ran his hand through his hair, leaving it disheveled in his wake. Rin checked his watch and sighed. They were on time, but he had other things he'd rather be doing.

"Warmup however you see fit. Stretch, run, or do nothing." Rin told them as they got closer, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Tch," Bon let out a low hiss, the day had just begun and Rin's attitude was already grinding his gears.

Bon took the lead and led the group in some light stretching. He suggested that they run a lap or two around the track. As the group ran around the track, Rin stood still and watched them. Bon, of course, was leading the group and was ahead of everyone else. He appeared to be in top physical condition. Shima was trying his best (and failing spectacularly) to keep pace with Bon.

Izumo following behind Shima. Instead of going all out and sprinting, she worked on keeping her breathing nice and even.

Unfortunately, Sheimi and Koneko were worse off. Both were further back than the others. They were both breathing heavily from exhaustion.

"Pathetic." Rin muttered to himself. Seeing as they were soon-to-be graduate exorcists, he had expected them to be physically apt in the very least. The exwires, with the exception of Bon, looked as though they had never gone for a run in their entire lives. If they were struggling in a controlled setting, how were they supposed to survive on a mission where anything could go wrong? Rin clicked his tongue, he was wasting his time.

By the time they finished their third lap around the track, the exwires were drained of energy. Sheimi and Koneko looked to be on the verge of collapse, and Shima flopped on to the ground, panting heavily. Izumo was a little winded but otherwise she was okay. Bon however, felt energized. He exercised every single morning to stay in tip top shape,

"Alright, warmups over." Rin called out and motioned them over.

'That was just warm up?!' Izumo thought to herself and groaned.

"We'll start with your hand to hand combat. Even though you won't use it often, it's vital to know how to do it. Especially in the event of an emergency." Rin said monotonously. "In this exercise your goal is straightforward, take down your opponent before they take you down. Understand?"

They all nodded.

"Miss Kamiki, let's start with you," Rin announced. "I am your opponent."

Izumo of glanced around at the other exwires. Was he serious? Did Rin actually expect her to be able to take him down? She walked up to Rin. Unsure of what to do, she decided winging was her best option.

Rin looked down at her, his eyes betraying no emotion. Izumo looked right back at him, determined not to look away or back down.

Izumo drew her right hand back and thre a fist towards Rin. Rin saw the punch coming a mile away. Before the punch could connect, he grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. Izumo gasped out in pain and Rin hooked his foot around her ankle and pushed her, successfully tripping her.

The wind was knocked out of Izumo and she hit the ground with a resounding thud.

Sheimi, Koneko, and Shima gasped out in horror. Bon clenched his fists in anger, his temperature reaching a record high. How dare Rin throw her around like she was nothing?!

Izumo slowly rose from her place in the ground. Even through she failed miserably, she picked herself back up again. She dusted off her backside and limped over to the benches the the other exwires were occupying.

Rin glanced in Konekomarus direction and motioned him over. Koneko felt his heart stop. It was his turn. Koneko was by no means a fighter. He wasn't fast, he wast strong, or tall. He was quick mined and that enabled him to be an exception Aria. But his Aria skills weren't going to help him now.

Koneko took a step towards Rin but before he could do anything, Rin pushed against Koneko's chest. Hard.

Instantly, Koneko stumbled backwards, struggling to keep his footing. He lost the uphill battle and landed square on his butt.

Rin walked over to where Koneko landed on the ground.

"Stand up." He ordered Koneko.

Koneko made to right himself, but Rin pushed down on his chest with his boot. Slowly applying more, and more pressure

"I said stand up." Rin repeated.

Koneko looked up at Rin, mortified. He tried to pry Rin's foot off of his chest, but to no avail. Rin had him painfully pinned to the ground.

Bon was seething in anger, he was furious! How dare anyone treat his friends like that? His temper finally reached its boiling points. He stood up rigidly and strode over to Rin, barely containing his anger.

Rin saw Bon approaching from the corner of his eye and removed his boot from Konekomaru. Koneko scrambled away from Rin as fast as he could manage.

"It's my turn." Bon hissed, his own face mere inches from Rin's.

"No, I don't believe it is. Return to your seat." Rin said, looking at Bon nonplussed.

"I don't think so." Bon spat.

Rin's eyes narrowed slightly. Bon wasn't backing down.

"As you wish." Rin said coldly.

Without warning, Bon threw a quick jab for Rin's face. Rin took a step to the side and evaded the hit with ease. If Bon wanted to deal any damage, he would have to try harder. Bon surveyed Rin, searching for an opening.

When Bon found an opportune shot at Rin's side, he took it. And missed. Punch after punch, hit after hit, no matter what Bon did, Rin was two steps ahead of him and dodged everything coming his way.

One more hit. Bon would try to hit him one more time before fighting dirty. He threw a punch with all of his might and-

Rin ducked under his fist and kicked Bon square in the jaw, cutting it open.

Bon took a moment to wipe the blood off his chin. "Is that all you've got?" said Bon tauntingly.

Rin said nothing. As an impromptu evaluator, he wasn't allowed to severely injure them. Seeing as he wasn't allowed to do any real damage, he put little effort into the fight.

Bon threw two more jabs in succession, one of them grazed Rin's cheek. The other exwires let out a small cheer. Bon was able to touch him!

Rin kicked at Bon with his left leg in trying to knock Bon off balance. Bon stumbled a little but but was able to step out of the way.

Rin was somewhat stupefied that Bon was able to evade his attack, but he didn't show it. Suddenly, Rin's head snapped back with a loud crack.

In the midst of his distraction, Bon punched him straight in the face.

Rin steadied himself and took a deep breath. He had to end this. If he didn't, he might injure one of them and get in trouble.

Rin attempted a kick to Bons chest. Instead of his foot connecting with its intended target, Bon grabbed Rin's leg out of the air. Startled, Rin wretched his leg out of Bons grip and staggered back a step. For a fleeting second, Rin was sure that he was going to fall over.

Faster than anyone's eyes could track, Rin rushed in close to Bon and elbowed him on the side of the head. Bons head to the side jerked so fast that he was sure that he got whiplash.

While he was dazed, Rin shoved him in a downward motion and Bon crashed to the ground.

"Is that all you've got?" Rin asked, echoing Bons earlier taunt.

With his head held high, Bon got to his feet with a clear air of dignity surrounding him. He wiped his chin gingerly, it was still bleeding. He stared Rin dead in the eyes.

Rin chuckled to himself. Humans were really simple creatures, especially in thinking that a stare down for dominance meant anything to him.

Just then, something in his pocket started buzzing. Rin reached into his pocket and put his phone up against his ear.

The exwires watched him curiously, wondering who was calling him and why.

The phone call ended and Rin said to them abruptly, "You are all dismissed."

"Dismissed?" Shima questioned in an indignantly high voice, "But Sheimi and I haven't had a chance yet- not that we'd want to fight you."

When Rin made his way to leave Bon called out, "Oi, we're talking to you!"

Rin said nothing and left them all standing around awkwardly in a field.

"You've got to be kidding me," Izumo started, staring after him. "How can he treat us like this? He pushes us around like we're nothing for half and hour and then just leaves! Unbelievable."

"He's nothing but a bully." Bon said with finality.

-~x~-

Later that day the exwires met up with Yukio and told him what had happened. Izumo quickly filled him in and Bon gave the occasional comment about how Rin was nothing shy of an 'ass-hat' as he so eloquently put it. Yukio was silent the whole time.

"And he left? Just like that?" Yukio asked when they were done explaining.

"Yeah. No idea where the guy went, he got a phone call and just like that," Shima snapped his fingers, "He was gone."

"How is your chest doing?" Yukio asked Koneko.

"It's sore but fine otherwise."

"Have you found anything out?" Sheimi asked Yukio, referring to the 'Rin situation' as they were now calling it.

Yukio twiddled his fingers, "I haven't been idle," he began, "I was asking some senior rated exorcists where I could get information on past missions. Classified missions. One of them let it slip that there is a restricted sections of the archives that are accessible with a special pass."

"How do we get one?" Izumo inquired.

"We're going to have to steal it."


	5. S-P-Y Spells Trouble

**Disclaimer** : I don't own ANE/BE or any of its characters.

Here's a new chapter! Is kind of 'calm before the storm chapter'. I have the next few chapters planned out and boy, are they intense.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

 ** _"When information is kept secret, who is it protecting? Them or us?"_**

* * *

For most people, it was an ordinary Friday morning. It was early, yes, but things carried on as they usually did. Those who were working the night shift at True Cross were so tired at this point, they could not care less if something bad were to happen. It wouldn't be their job to take care of it, their shifts were ending soon.

For most people, it was an ordinary morning. But for six select exorcists, it was not. Yukio, Bon, Shima, Koneko, Izumo, and Sheimi, were wide awake while most of the world was asleep. Today was not a normal day. Today was the day that they would be stealing a top-secret clearance card from the Paladins office.

"Alright, let's go over this one more time," Yukio said, the exwires formed a circle around him, "Bon, Shima, and Koneko, you three will be keeping watch. If someone is coming, pass the message along to Izumo. She'll use her familiars, Mike and Uke, to warm Sheimi and I. Sheimi, you and Nee will unlock his desk drawers and look for the key card. I will stand guard at the door to make sure no one disturbs you. Is that clear?"

"Yes." They replied in unison.

"If everything goes according to plan, it should all go smoothly."

"If not, every man for himself." Shima joked.

They all got into their positions and hoped for the best but were ready for the worst.

Luckily, Yukio and Sheimi reached the door to Arthurs office without running into anyone along the way.

"Nee," Sheimi whispered, "Can you unlock the door for me?"

Nee squeaked excitedly in return and hopped on to her hand. Sheimi lowered Nee closer to the lock. Nee's arms grew out into long, spindly vines and reached into the lock of the door. After waiting for a few seconds, they heard the lock pop open. Nee did it!

Nee's arms shrunk back to their normal size. He jumped up and down happily in Sheimi's hands.

"Good job, Nee." She said to him quietly, with a bright smile on her face.

Sheimi looked to Yukio and he gave her a nod. It was time. It was all resting on her and Nee's shoulders. She reached for the door knob and turned it slowly, careful not to make any noise. When she opened the door, she expected to see some overly grand office but was surprised to see that it was just a normal office. It was spacious and looked like Mephisto's office, it had a large desk covered in half finished paperwork, two armchairs in front of the desk, and a comfortable looking chair sat behind the desk. There were a few fancy looking vases here and there but that was it.

Sheimi tiptoed into the room, holding Nee firmly in her hand. She neared the back of the desk. It had a lot more drawers than she had anticipated.

She lowered Nee closer to the lock and he repeated the same actions he did with the other lock. His arms extended, and like before, he opened the lock.

She pulled the drawer open and to her surprise, a key card was sitting right on top! She picked it up and put it in her pocket. She'll have to ask Yukio if it's the right card. Nee crawled back into her hair.

Meanwhile outside of the office, Yukio was standing guard in front of the door. No one had come down the hallway yet. He heard what sounded like the faint sound of paws. Mike and Uke rounded the corner, panting slightly.

"Someone's coming." Mike said quietly.

Yukio nodded his thanks and they padded back down the corridor.

Yukio knocked on the door. Two knocks. Then three. Then one knock. It was the signal that someone was coming.

Sheimi stood up quickly when she heard the knocking. She stood up too fast and got light-headed. She held on to the desk for support, accidentally knocking over a teacup with a loud clatter. It crashed to the ground and shattered on impact.

Sheimi hurriedly reached for the teacup shards. She didn't want to leave any evidence that someone had been in there. She grabbed at a shard, but the edge was sharp and she sliced the tip of her finger open. She dropped the shard and looked at her finger, it stung and it was bleeding too.

Sheimi debated sweeping the broken cup under the carpet but if she didn't leave now, someone could come in at any moment. Instead, she tiptoed back out of the room.

"Are you okay?" Yukio asked when she came out of the room. She was gripping her hand in pain.

"I'm fine. I'm not sure if I grabbed the right card though." She reached into her pocket with her non-injured hand to give Yukio the key card, but he stopped her.

"That can wait. Someone's coming." He grabbed her arm and quickly led her down a series of halls and turns that made her dizzy.

Before she knew it, she was back in the main entrance with her friends.

"Did you get it?" Asked Shima.

"Shhhh!" Izumo hissed, "Not here, you idiot!"

They swiftly left the building. On the way down the stairs, Sheimi handed the key card to Yukio.

He read the bar code on one side and flipped it over. It was the correct card.

"You guys find somewhere to wait. I'll go to the archives alone. It'll be quicker that way."

Yukio deviated from the group and went to the archives, alone. It wasn't a long distance away so he could walk there without a problem. When he got there, the desk clerk was already there. Instead of greeting the clerk, Yukio waved his pass in front of his face, showing that he had the clearance to get inside. He pressed the key against the key pad on the door. It beeped and blinked green.

He pulled open the door an entered quickly. Now that he was inside, he would have to be extra cautious. If someone recognized him here and he got caught, he would be in big trouble.

The archives were bigger than he ever imagined. There were rows, upon rows of files. They must have files on every single mission there ever was. On every single exorcist that had ever lived even. Thankfully they were organized in alphabetical order so he only had to make his way to the 'O' section of personal files.

His fingers skimmed along the names.

 _'_ _Obata_ _..._ _Ogasawara_ _..._ _Oikawa_ _... and_ _Okumura_ _._ _Okumura_ _,_ _Rin_ _.'_ He let out a sigh of relief.

He reached out to grab the files and paused. He heard voices getting closer to where he was. He pressed himself against the bookshelf and stilled. They were coming from the left.

Yukio grabbed as many of his brothers files as he could and ran. Not risking getting caught.

He pulled out his phone and filed Bons number. "Hey- yeah I'm fine. I've got them. Meet me in the Cram classroom."He hung up his phone and walked.

When he got to the classroom, they all swarmed around him, curious to see what he found.

"I grabbed as many as I could, there were other people there so I had to hurry." Yukio explained.

He set the stack of files down on his deck and opened the first one. His stomach dropped.

Every single word in the file was blacked out.

He opened the second file. It was the same.

File after file, they were all blacked out.

Yukio grabbed one of the blacked out files and threw it across the room as hard as he could. Papers flew everywhere. It was so frustrating! Whenever they thought they were making progress, they only got set further back. Why couldn't they win something for once?!

Yukio took a few deep breaths and calmly opened the last file. He laughed when he saw what it was - it was the damned Malaysia file from a few days ago. Only this one hadn't been blacked out yet.

He sat down and read the paper. His eyes skimming over trivial details.

He read the text aloud, "... On the third night of the demon infestation (Thursday) the demon King Amaimon appeared. Unable to fend him off, the Malaysian Branch called in for backup. When they mentioned that a demon king was there, the Arthur Auguste Angel (Rank: Paladin) and Rin Okumura (Rank: Formally, Upper First Class) led a successful counter attack. Before Amaimon fled - it said something unintelligible to Upper First Class Okumura. The support team composed of (7) reported back to the Japanese Branch with minor injuries.

Of all the casualties, the most detrimental was Hiro Matsuzuki (Arc Knight), attacked and killed by Amaimon."

-~x~-

Late into the evening hours, Arthur Auguste Angel was sitting at his desk alone. He was finally doing much-needed paperwork. Before he became the paladin, the most paper work he ever had to do was some simple reports. Now he had mountains, upon mountains of paper work. Some days he thought he would be buried alive by it and they would never find his body. A knock sounded from Arthur's door, rousing him from his paperwork.

"Enter." He said to the person on the other side of the door.

Rin entered the room, limping slightly. Arthur noted that he looked dead-tired.

"I was wondering when you would be back. How did it go?" Arthur asked.

Rin didn't reply right away. He walked over to one of Arthur's empty armchairs and sat down. He leaned back into the chair and his eyes fluttered shut. If anyone were to walk in and see him like this, he would seem to be sleeping.

Arthur did not press him. Rin wasn't asleep and would answer when he was ready. Instead, he went back to filing his paperwork and signing off on leave forms.

"I've received some strange reports as of late. I was hoping to get your opinion on some of them." Arthur started, "Some of them are more alarming than others. Like this one here," he pulled a document out from one of the sorted piles and set it on the desk for Rin to read. "This one states that even simple missions have been increasingly difficult. Supposedly, it's getting harder to quell the demons. What do you think?"

Rin opened his eyes and leaned forward, picking up the document that Arthur had placed on the desk. He carefully read over its contents before handing it back over. Rin took a moment to process what it said and gathered his thoughts.

"While its not wrong, some of the information in there," Rin gestured to the file, "has been exaggerated. There has been an increasing amount of demon attacks and demon king appearances, which is understandably concerning to most. I, for one, am not as concerned about that in itself. What I'm worried about is how the attacks are becoming more coördinated. They're attacking us at our weak points and gaining ground. Quickly."

"Your personal opinion?" Arthur asked, giving Rin his undivided attention.

"These attacks are nothing like I've seen before. Rather than just being a free-for-all. They're working together. The rate we're losing out men at is at its highest since Blue Night." Rin said.

Arthur sensed that Rin was holding something back.

"What aren't you saying?" Arthur asked, hesitantly.

"It's just a hunch, but what if someone is leaking information to the other side?" Rin asked, his voice dead serious. "I think that we have a spy on our hands."


	6. Doesn't Concern You

**Disclaimer** : I do not own Ao no Exorcist/Blue Exorcist or anything recognizable.

It really feels nice to get back into the swing of writing. I hope you're all having a good day.

* * *

 ** _"Nothing is impossible, only improbable."_**

* * *

 _It_ was a warm and sunny morning. The weekend had finally arrived after what seemed like a never ending week and the exwires were going to make the most of it. They were all visiting a nearby beach. By joining forces and teaming up against Yukio, they were able to force him to come with them. If Yukio was honest with himself, there was no place he'd rather be. They all had a long and rough week so they deserved a breather.

The beach itself was fairly quiet. There were only a handful of other people. It was a small town just off of the coast so it never got too busy. It wasn't far from the academy either, so if something were to happen, they weren't far.

The changing rooms were on a small pier and while everyone was busy changing into their swimsuits, Bon, who had already changed into his swimming trunks, was watching over their bags to make sure no one stole anything.

Bon closed his eyes and listened to the waves crash against the shore. It had been too long since they last did anything fun together. Bon opened his eyes when he heard one of the changing room doors open. Koneko came out wearing his swim trunks and a rash guard (he burned like there was no tomorrow in the sun).

Shima came out moments later and asked, "Where are the girls?"

"Still changing." Bon replied.

"Do you think I could manage to sneak a peek..?"

Bon gave him a withering look. "Don't you dare."

"Okay, okay. I was just joking." Shima laughed nervously.

"Is Yukio still changing?" Koneko asked. He craned his neck around looking for Yukio.

"I'm not sure if he's changed yet, but I saw him buying some extra sunscreen. Apparently he burns worse than Koneko. When everyone's dressed, we'll go meet him down by the water." Bon said.

As if it rehearsed, both Sheimi and Izumo came out at the same time.

"Are you two ready?" Bon asked the girls.

"Yes." Sheimi said, smiling brightly. She could barely contain her excitement. It had been forever since she visited a beach.

"Of course." Izumo replied smoothly. She was just as excited as Sheimi but she had no problem containing her excitement. She reached for her bag but Bon swatted her hand away and picked up all the bags.

"I've got this. You guys go ahead." Bon offered. He carried the bags with effortless ease.

When they neared the beach, Yukio was down by the water like Bon said he would be.

Yukio waved them over to where he was. He picked out a shaded area for them to put their stuff. At least this way, their water and food would stay cool.

"Aren't you joining us, Yuki?" Shiemi asked.

"Maybe later. I'll just watch for now." Yukio answered. He got immense enjoyment out of watching his friends have fun and wasn't particularly fond of being out in the sun for too long. His pale skin burned very easily.

"Okay." Sheimi replied. She didn't press him. She could tell that he was a bit stressed out and some quiet might help him clear his head.

Just then there was a loud scream and Sheimi jumped in surprise.

Bon had hoisted Shima up onto his shoulder and tossed him into the water while Koneko laughed from the sidelines, thankful that he wasn't the one getting thrown into the cool water.

Bon heard him laugh and looked at his friends from over his shoulder. "None of you will be laughing when I get a hold of you!" He yelled.

"Only if you can catch us." Izumo sniggered. She even went as far as to stick her tongue out at him. Sheimi covered her mouth with her hand and giggled loudly.

Bon marched out of the cool water with every intent on catching the three of them.

The smiles slid from all of their faces.

"Now you've done it..." Koneko said to Izumo. "Run!" He shouted when Bon ran towards them.

Unfortunately, Sheimi wasn't fast enough.

She screamed in delight when Bon picked her up and, albeit more gently than he had done with Shima, tossed her into the water where she and Shima had a splash battle. Bon dusted his hands off. Two down, two more to go.

Yukio, who was watching Bon chase down Koneko and Izumo, Bons remaining victims, laughed at the sight. Coming here was a nice break in routine and he was very thankful that his friends all forced him to come out with them. The only thing that could make this day even better was if Rin was with them. The old Rin, that is. The one who joked around and laughed at the simplest of things. Yukio closed his eyes and turned towards the sun, letting its warm rays engulf his face. He just wished he could talk with his brother one on one.

"Are you alright, teach?" Bon asked, seeing Yukio's expression.

"I'm fine." Yukio replied. "And please call me Yukio outside of the class room. We're friends after all, right?"

"You should join us then!" Izumo shouted out.

"I would but I didn't bring an extra pair of glasses in the event that I lose the ones I'm wearing-"

"To hell with that!" Bon exclaimed. "Come on and join us."

Yukio decided to mess with Bon and raise his eyebrow in mock irritation. It seemed to work because Bons happy expression faded into a stricken one. Bon thought he had crossed the line with his words. Instead of Yukio getting angry like he expected, Yukio laughed and stood up. He dusted his himself off and joined them.

They had splash battles and messed around in the water for another two hours or so. They played chicken, dunked each other, and played a great many other games. When noon rolled around and the sun was starting to feel a bit too hot, they decided it was time to dry off and get a bite to eat.

Little did they know that they had held an audience for the last twenty minutes.

After towelling themselves dry, Shima walked over to Yukio.

"See wasn't it worth coming out? Even if you won't admit it, I know you had fun-" Shima stopped mid sentence and looked over Yukio's shoulder. He had clearly seen something.

Yukio looked over his shoulder, trying to get a view of what distracted his pink haired friend.

Rin dressed in his full exorcist uniform was standing no more than fifteen meters away from them. He was staring off into the distance distractedly. He had waited there for at least twenty minutes now. Rin sensed people looking at him and shook himself back to reality.

He took long strides towards them.

Bon defensively placed himself between Rin and the others. He remembered the last time he and Rin had spoken and he was prepared for a fight.

"What do _you_ want?" Bon hissed when Rin approached them.

"It doesn't concern you." Rin said with some sort of finality to his words. He noticed Bons defensive behavior and ignored it. He wasn't here for a fight but if it came to it, he could win with ease. "Where is Sheimi Moriyama?" Rin asked.

"Is there something wrong?" It was Yukio who had spoken up this time.

"It doesn't concern you." Rin repeated firmly. Even if there was something wrong, they had no reason to be informed of it.

"Rin, I was wondering if we could talk." Yukio inquired seriously.

"I'd rather not." Rin declined immediately.

"Miss Moriyama," Rin addressed Sheimi when he saw her approach them.

Sheimi had just finished getting dressed and exited the changing room when she saw someone in uniform talking to Yukio and Bon. She thought that something bad must have happened at the academy and they were contacting Yukio in person instead of calling, but upon getting closer she saw that it was Rin and rushed over.

"Yes?" She asked, unsure of why Rin wanted to talk to her.

"Why were you in the paladins office yesterday morning?" Rin asked.

Sheimi's heart nearly stopped. How did he find out?

When she didn't answer Rin instead asked, "What did you steal?"

"Are you crazy?" Bon scoffed, "She didn't go in his office and she sure as hell didn't steal anything."

Judging by the expression on Rin's face, he was clearly not convinced by what Bon said.

"They were with me all of yesterday morning." Yukio said. It wasn't a lie, they had all been together when they stole the pass from Arthur's office.

"Are you telling me that she didn't enter his office for any reason?" Rin questioned, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"No, she didn't." Yukio replied a little too quickly.

"And she can also speak for herself." Sheimi said, emerging from behind Bon and Yukio. Though she appreciated her friends defending her, she could also stand up for herself. "I was not in his office and I didn't steal anything."

"Is that so?" Rin began, "I found an item with blood on it. I sent it in for a DNA analysis and oddly enough, you were the only match. So that leaves us with two possibilities, either the test was wrong, or you are lying."

Bon scoffed, "The test is wrong then. You should leave and redo it."

"Gladly." Rin said, he obviously didn't believe them. Before he left, he have Bon a chilling glare.

"Scary..." Shima muttered when Rin was out of earshot.

"What do you think that was about?" Izumo asked.

"I'm not sure," Yukio said, drying off his hair, "but it can't be good."

-~x~-

After questioning Sheimi and getting nowhere, he used an exorcist key to return to the academy. Now Rin was standing outside the doors to Arthur's office. He just couldn't bring himself to go in. For a reason unknown to him, he was hesitating. Did he still care about them...? He shook his head and pushed that thought from his mind. He was here for a reason.

Rin took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Enter." The voice inside said.

Rin opened the door and let himself him quietly.

"Rin, what brings you here?" Arthur asked.

"I'm aware that your going on a mission later, but I feel the need to bring something to your attention. It involves what we discussed last night, Yukio Okumura and his exwire class should be the first ones investigated."

"Yukio Okumura and his students...?" Arthur echoed in disbelief. "Rin you can't be serious-"

"Have I ever joked around or have given you reason to doubt me?" Rin asked.

Arthur looked him hard in the eyes. Of all the people to suspect, he had never thought Rin would be suspicious of his own kin. He knew that Rin felt no attachment to Yukio or his past friends, or to anyone for that matter, but still...

"I knew you wouldn't believe me so I took the liberty to have it analyzed for DNA-"

"Have what analyzed?" Arthur asked in confusion, he had no idea what Rin was talking about.

"I found something as I was leaving this very office last night." Rin smiled inwardly. Now Arthur would listen to him. He recounted the events from the prior night,

"I think that we have a spy on our hands." He had said in a serious tone.

 _"Are you sure?" Arthur asked in an equally serious tone._

 _Rin nodded. He was one hundred percent certain that there was._

 _"Then you have my permission to use what ever means necessary to figure out who it is."_

 _"Thank you, sir." Rin said, standing up to take his leave._

 _As Rin made his way to leave, Arthur asked "Are you angry with me?"_

 _"Angry sir? What gave you that impression?" Rin asked curiously._

 _"When I asked you to evaluate the new class. You didn't seem very thrilled."_

 _"Perhaps I overreacted." He said, shrugging._

 _On his way out something crunched beneath his boot. He looked down and saw a broken glass on the floor. He crouched down and picked up one of the broken pieces. It was covered in blood._

 _He brought it to the lab and submitted it for testing. It took a few minutes for it to check all the databases. When it came up with a match Rin was so surprised that he ran the test another two times. All coming back with the same result. Sheimi Moriyama_.

"She was in here for a reason, but without the authority. Upon questioning her, they immediately denied it and denied that she ever was here." Rin finished.

Arthur didn't want to believe it. They were already so short on exorcists that this would only hurt their numbers further if they had to excommunicate a whole new class of students. But he had no choice but to question them...

"Bring them in."


	7. In the Clear

**IMPORTANT** : Who would you like to see Rin paired with in A Splintered Future? Vote now on my profile before the poll closes!

 **EDIT** : The results are in. I just finished adding up the poll votes and reviews. You guys voted for Rin to be paired up with... *drumroll* No one! It was a close tie between Rin/Izumo and Rin/None. This story isn't centered around romance, so no pairing works out well.

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Ao no Exorcist/Blue Exorcist or anything recognizable.

On to the new chapter!

* * *

 ** _"I spy, I spy, with my little eye, someone among us who lies."_**

* * *

"What a day." Bon yawned, he stretched his arms offer his head and flinched. His back was sunburned from spending the day in the sun.

"Yes, I had fun." Yukio fel surprised to find himself saying. He was busy packing up their bags. He didn't want to get back only to find that they had lost or forgotten something.

"Not too shabby." Shima agreed. For him, seeing the girls clad in swimsuits was equally, if not more, fun...

It was the end of a long and enjoyable day at the beach. It was starting to get late so they decided to pack up and head back. As the evening hours approached the temperature started to drop, bringing a cool breeze with it. They hadn't expected to stay out so late, so they didn't bring sweatshirts to protect themselves from the cold.

Just then, the squealing of car breaks on pavement spooked them from their post-beach fun haze.

"What was that?" Koneko asked when the sound stopped, covering his ears.

"I'm not sur-" Bon stopped mid-sentence. A large, black van that wasn't there before was in the beach visitors parking lot. It had a large True Cross insignia on the side.

"Oh, here we go..." Bon muttered. He had a feeling that Rin was behind this. After he had confronted them earlier in the day, Bon wouldn't be surprised.

A group of six armed exorcists dressed in full garb exited the van and proceeded to approach them.

"You're Yukio Okumura, correct?" One of them asked Yukio impatiently.

"I am." Yukio replied apprehensively.

Much to their horror, the man forcefully grabbed one of Yukio's arms and twisted it behind his back. Yukio cried out in pain and alarm. His mind was reeling. What on earth was going on? Did he do something wrong?

"What the hell are you doing?" Bon shouted, grabbing the man's shoulder.

"Brag them too." The man ordered, shaking Bons hand off of his shoulder.

"Let go of me!" Izumo screamed when one of the men tried to grab her.

"Guys," Yukio said, trying to get his student's attention. They didn't hear him, they too were trying to ask the men what was going on.

"Guys!" Yukio repeated, shouting this time. That got their attention, "Don't fight them. I don't know what's going on, but fighting will only make matters worse."

The men in black led them towards the van. They opened the back doors, and punched them inside. They clearly weren't afraid to use force. Two of the men entered the back of the van and closed the doors behind them, sitting down on metal benches on either side of the van.

Once the doors were closed, the van started moving. When started picking up speed, they were slammed against the back of the van. It reached a stead pace and they were able to move around. They too sat on the metal benches, weary of the armed men.

"Where are you taking us?" Yukio asked the man closet too him.

The man snorted but didn't answer.

"Could you stop least tell us what's going on? Who's orders are you acting on?" Yukio asked, desperate for information. He had never felt so out of his element before.

The man opted for silence.

Yukio slumped against the wall, leaning his head back. If they weren't going to answer his questions, there was no point in asking them. He looked around when he heard sniffling. Sheimi was sitting close to Izumo, she looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"We're going to be fine." Izumo said quietly to Sheimi.

"Everything will be okay." Yukio assured them, not knowing if this was true. He hoped it was. He looked at one of the men to try and gauge their reaction of what he said. The man's face was flat but he watched them with interest.

The rest of their surprise ride passed in silence. It was not another ten minutes before the van slowed to a stop. They must have reached their destination. When the doors opened again, two men 'helped' them out.

Yukio looked around. They were in a large, open hangar that felt oddly familiar. The men led them down a series of hallways, each more recognizable than the last.

'We're in True Cross...' Yukio realized. He really had seen theses hallways before. They were used in fire and evacuation drills.

'Or they're used to smuggle people who knows where...' He added as an after thought.

They stopped in front of a heavy-looking metal door. The sort where you could be locked in and never heard or seen from again. One of the men unlocked the door and led them inside.

It looked like an interrogation chamber. Along one wall there was a double-sided mirror so people could watch them. In the center of the room was a table and a couple of chairs.

"What the hell...?" Bon muttered, bewildered. Why would they take them to a place like this?

The man closed the door behind himself, leaving a guard in front of it.

"Is this what I think it is?" Shima asked.

"If you think it's an interrogation room, then yeah, you're right." Bon replied.

A few minutes later the door opened again. Arthur walked in followed by Rin, who closed the door. For some reason Rin looked upset.

Upon seeing Rin, Bon stood up angrily. Of course this was his doing.

"Sit down." Izumo hissed, pulling him back into his chair. Bon sat down and contented himself with glaring murderously at Rin.

"Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have had members of our organization brought to a room such as this, but given the state of things I felt it was necessary," Arthur said.

"The state of things, sir?" Yukio asked.

"There is a spy in the order. Maybe even in this room." He said, pacing back and forth.

"One of us, a spy? You've gotta be kiddin'." Shima said incredulously.

"Is Sir Pheles aware of this?" Yukio asked.

"There is no reason he should know." Auther replied. There was a chance that Mephisto himself was the spy so he couldn't risk it.

"What makes you think it's us?" Yukio asked, "Who thinks that we're spies?"

Arthur paused and cast a sidelong look at Rin that said 'Are you sure about this?'

Rin shrugged. It was better to be safe than sorry.

Yukio caught their little exchange, " _You_ suspected us?" Yukio asked Rin in disbelief.

"I was made aware that a top secret pass was taken from my office." Arthur said, ignoring the question.

"We were just..." Yukio caught himself.

'Shit' he thought. He had just admitted that they were the ones in his office.

"You were just what?"

Yukio sighed resignedly, "Yes, we stole your pass, but it's not what you think. I used the pass to take information about Rin from the personal records."

"Go check the archive records. If what he's saying is true, it will say that he used the pass and took out said files." Arthur said to the man guarding the door.

A few minutes of silence passed as they awaited his return. When he came back he gave Arthur and Rin a nod. What Yukio said was true.

"Well now that that's settled, I think they can be cleared of suspicion, don't you agree? I think it would be best if you lead them back up the the main floor. I have a mission to prepare for." Arthur told Rin.

"Yes sir."

Arthur and his men left, leaving Rin along with Yukio and the exwires.

"You don't have to show us out, I know the way from evacuation drills." Yukio suggested awkwardly, he hadn't anticipated being left alone with Rin.

"No," Rin said, "I can show you out."

Rin left the room with long strides and the others followed after him. Rin walked along side them, leading them out to the main floor. It was an awkward silence between them.

Bon decided now was the best time to seize his chance.

Ron rushed towards Rin and punched him against the wall, successfully pinning him. He pressed his elbow into Rin's throat. Hard.

Immediately the others tried to pull him away from Rin but to no avail. He just wouldn't budge.

"You accused us of being spies?!" Bon shouted incredulously.

"That was never my intention." Rin said in a low, controlled voice.

That infuriated Bon even further, he grabbed Rin's collar and slammed his head against the wall.

"Never you're intention?! We've done nothing to you! Nothing to call for this kind of behavior. What did we do to deserve this?!"

"What did you do?" Run echoed in a hollow voice, just loud enough for Bon to hear, "You didn't do anything. It's all my fault..."

Bon froze. What was Rin talking about? What was his fault? His grip on Rin's collar slackened and the others were finally able to pry him away. Bon looked at Rin in confusion.

"C'mon tough guy..." Shima said to Bon, pulling him away from Rin.

Yukio and Shima grabbed Bon by the arms and pulled him away.

Right before they rounded the hallway, Bon took one last glance at Rin. Rin still hadn't moved from where Bon pinned him against the wall. And Bon could have sworn that his chin was quivering.

'What did he mean it's all his fault?' Bon pondered.

-~x~-

Rin was in the living room of his apartment, alone. His apartment was bare of anything that would make it homely. He had no trinkets, no decorations, and especially no photographs. Just some food and water in his refrigerator and some furniture. Rin spent so little time in his apartment that he didn't need any of those comforts.

He read a clock hanging on the wall, it was almost midnight and he was expecting a visitor any minute now.

A knock sounded from his window. He walked unlocked it and opened it slightly.

"If someone sees you entering a building from a window, they might think you're a burglar and call the cops." Rin berated.

"I don't care," the other person replied, "I would just kill them."

Pushing the window open the rest of the way, Amaimon hoisted himself up and into the room.

"I know _you_ don't care, but if I'm caught talking to you, it would ruin everything."

"Only if you get caught. Why did you call me?" Amaimon asked, unwrapping a lollipop and putting it in his mouth.

"They know. The exorcist know that there's a spy."

"How did they find out?" Amaimon inquired, peering at Rin curiously.

Rin shrugged. Amaimon didn't need to know that he was the one who tipped off the exorcists.

"Do they know who it is?" Amaimon asked.

"No, they have no idea." Rin answered. "But some of them have given me a hard time ever since _you_ killed that Arc Knight. They think that I had something to do with it."

Amaimon shrugged, "If you wanted to complain about the exorcists, you could have bugged Lucifer. Why did you really call me?"

"I don't want to do this anymore." Rin said simply.

"Do you think **_he_** cares?"

"Of course not." Rin sighed, "Why would he?"


	8. Unplanned Mission

**Disclaimer** : I do not own Ao no Exorcist/Blue Exorcist or anything recognizable.

Cheers to the 8th chapter of this story! It took a little longer to write than I would have liked but I'm also writing chapters for some of my other stories as well. Please comment and tell me what you think. I also love reading your suggestions.

* * *

 **" _When your memories and dreams begin blend, how can you differentiate between the two?_ "**

* * *

 _Words were echoing in his head, what were they saying?_

 _Death. Something about death. His death._

 _They were dragging him away now, where were they taking him?_

 _Rin_ _turned to the side to see an ominous, yet familiar person._

 _"_ _Please-_ _" he begged, "you have to help me! Do something, anything!"_

 _Time almost seemed to slow down around him._

 _"I can help you, but not without something in return. If I help you, what do you offer me in turn?"_

 _"Anything, everything!_ _Rin_ _screamed._

 _The person smiled at him, revealing teeth so sharp they could pierce metal._

Rin jolted upright from his sleep. Bleary eyed from sleep, he tried to get a good look at his surroundings. Wherever he was, it was too cold for his liking.

Wiping the sleep away from his eyes, he finally realized where he was. He was still in his apartment. Why was it so cold? Even though it took a lot more for Rin to get cold when compared to a human, he could still get cold. He swung his legs out from his bed and got up to investigate.

When Rin entered the living room, it quickly became clear about why it was cold.

'Ah,' he thought to himself, 'so that's why.' He had forgotten to close the window last night. From the cool breeze that drifted in through the open window, it was apparent that fall was fast approaching. He closed the window, making sure to lock the two hatches at the top. Outside the window, it was a rainy day.

Rin's breath caught in his throat, a painful prickling sensation was ebbing insistently at his back. He shrugged it off like it was nothing. He was used to it. With years of rough training under his belt, he had gotten used to strange aches and pains in his body. After time, pain had started to become normal to him. Before when he broke a bone, it would be excruciating, but he knew that it would heal. Now, a bone breaking would hurt him no more than a pin prick.

The pain in his back eventually receded, he reached his hand behind his head and prodded the area. The pain was gone for now.

-~x~-

After their 'weekend-fiasco' as they so called it, the group spent the rest of their weekend and the following week in a relatively normal way, normal for exorcist students that is. Classes were still difficult, but everything was as it should be. Almost everything.

It had been total radio silence from Rin. None of them had seen him since they were dragged away from the beach and interrogated. He didn't sit in on any of their classes, he didn't show up spontaneously to give them any tests, and quite frankly, they hadn't seen him around the academy at all.

Well, that was until they were all called in to a 'private emergency meeting' by Mephisto.

When Yukio and his class arrived, they were unsure what to expect. It seemed like every time they ran into Mephisto as of late, he caused nothing but trouble.

"I assure you, this is of utmost importance," Mephisto said to them when they demanded to know why they were called there, "we're just waiting on one more person.

Rin opened the door to Mephistos office and stood as far away from the others as he could. Rin eyed them out of the corner of his eye, and promptly ignored them.

 _'_ _Tch_ _, we don't want_ _to be_ _here either.'_ Bon grumbled in his mind, annoyed at Rin's lack of acknowledgment.

"Thank you all for coming," Mephisto said in a grand voice, he clasped his hands in front of himself, and in a very flamboyant tone said, "Ah, I just love class reunions~!"

"Please just cut to the chase, some of us have real work to do." Rin snapped, eyeing Mephistos stacks of unfinished paper work.

"In a bad mood, are we dear brother?" Mephisto asked Rin in a sickly sweet voice, "How's your back?"

Rin's eyes widened a fraction, but he said nothing. Whatever Mephisto meant, it was lost on Yukio and the others. Izumo gazed between the two, trying to figure out what he meant but came up short in the end.

Rin's lack of response urged Mephisto to continue talking, "The reason I have called you all here is because I have here a mission of most importance that I can only trust you few to complete. I have a package, its contents are... Top secret, shall we say?"

"And you, want us," Rin gestured to the present group, "to go pick up your mail? What is so important that you can't just send someone else?"

"I told you, its top-secret."

"I have top-secret clearance-" Rin barked, but was interrupted by Mephisto.

"It's above your pay grade, brother dear." Mephisto said cooly.

There was a tense silence until Yukio spoke up and asked, "So where is it you want us to go?"

"Oh, no. Not all of you. I can't risk putting our entire class of future exorcist in danger. That would be... Irresponsible." Mephisto said dramatically, he then held up two fingers and said, "Just two of you."

That piqued their interest. Why would he call all of them here only to say that he needed two of them? Couldn't he have just called two of them there in the first place? Unless he planning something?

"Why did you call us all here then, Sir Pheles?" Yukio inquired. It was better to ask questions now before it was too late.

"Here we have our young and esteemed officer, Rin, who will be leading the mission, but no one to go with him, and I thought who better to join him than a former classmate?" Mephisto's face split into a wide and devious grin, "I felt it was only right that you choose who it should be."

Rin turned his eyes to Yukio and crew, who looked baffled. They were supposed to pick just one person to go to some unknown place with Rin and pick up an unknown item?

Bon nudged Yukio, " It should be you."

Bons motion earned him a few sounds and nods of approval.

Yukio took a step forward and announced, "We all agreed that I should be the one too-"

"Now hold right there," Mephisto held his hand up to silence Yukio, "I didn't say it was _your_ choice, Rin's the one who gets to decide."

"I'd rather not." Rin said simply.

"Choose or I can choose for you." Mephisto offered.

Rin seemed to considered letting him choose for him for a moment before ultimately deciding for himself, "Miss Kamiki will suffice."

Of all the people there why did he pick her? Did he think she would be the most reliable or maybe he thought he could push her around the easiest. Izumos cheeks burned at the thought.

"Wonderful~ That went better than I had anticipated! Mr. Okumura, Miss Kamiki, you will both be leaving at first light tomorrow morning," Mehisto tossed Rin a key, "That should bring you to the correct country. You can also use it to come back to my office at anytime."

"Should bring us to the correct country...?" Izumo echoed, worried that it might not work, "You haven't told us where we're going."

Mephisto snapped his fingers and two folders appeared in a poof of pink smoke, "These have all the information you should need. Ciao!"

"What time is it?" Mephisto asked Rin suddenly as he was ushering them out of his office.

"Isn't that something you should know, Samael?" Rin replied.

With one last sidelong look at Rin, Mephisto closed the doors to his office and locked them all out.

-~x~-

It was still dark out the next morning when Izumo woke up. She took a quick shower and pulled her short hair back in a small bun. She ate a quick breakfast and brushed her teeth, she stopped briefly and wondered if she would be needing her toothbrush.

The folder that Mephisto gave her contained very little practical information. It said that they would be going to Southeast Asia for an unspecified amount of time. They would be receiving the package from a man who went by the name Anurak. And they would be meeting in front of the boys abandoned dormitory. Judging by the guys name, Izumo guessed that they would be either going to Thailand, Malaysia, or Cambodia. That means she would have to pack clothes that would keep her dry.

When she finished packing her bag, all in all, it probably weighted ten or fifteen pounds.

Arriving at the boys dormitory, Izumo was unsurprised to see that Rin was already there but was shocked to see that he didn't have a bag with him.

"Did you pack anything?" Izumo asked, trying to start-up a conversation.

"Mm," Rin made a noncommittal noise in response, "Let me know when your friends are done so we can leave."

"Friends...?" Izumo asked confused, they were the only two there. Or so she thought.

"Izumo!"

She heard voices shout in unison, she turned around quickly to see Shiemi, Yukio, Bon, and Koneko fast approaching. She noted Shimas absence.

"Guys, what are you doing here? Where's Shima?"

"We couldn't let you go without saying goodbye." Shiemi exclaimed, breathing heavily from running to catch Izumo before she left.

"That stupid pink-head is still sleeping." Bon answered her question.

They talked a little longer. Shiemi brought her a lunch box full of energy packed foods just incase she got hungry, Koneko brought a cat paw key chain that he claimed was good luck, and Yukio handed her a small portable first aid kit.

"We have to leave," Rin's voice sounded, "we'll miss our chance if we don't go now."

Izumo felt her heartbeat quicken, even though she tried not to show it, she was extremely nervous.

Bon, as if sensing Izumos nerves said to Rin, "Keep her safe, you hear? Or you'll be answering to me."

Rin returned Bons words with a blank stare. If what Bon said was supposed to be intimidating, the threat was lost on Rin. Rin used the key that Mephisto gave him and opened the door.

Izumo took a few deep breaths and steadied her nerves. She could do this. She turned from her friends and returned to Rin's side, feeling more ready than before, "Let's go." She said confidently, walking into the unknown.


End file.
